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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794418">Onto the Next Thing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/appalyneinstitute1/pseuds/appalyneinstitute1'>appalyneinstitute1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus &amp; Guillermo del Toro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gen, Post Wizards, Wizards Spoilers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:48:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/appalyneinstitute1/pseuds/appalyneinstitute1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>I felt inspired, hope you enjoy!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barbara Lake/Walter Strickler | Stricklander, Jim Lake Jr./Claire Nuñez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Onto the Next Thing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I felt inspired, hope you enjoy!</p><p>XOXO<br/>—Appie</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After Douxie had taken off with Nari the group was left standingaround the ruins. Jim blinked against the light coming from the rising sun. Sunlight. He could go into the sunlight again. That was such a nice thought.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s head home.” He said at last.</p><p> </p><p>“What about the awesome sword?” Toby asked as Jim went to follow the familiar route to his house.</p><p> </p><p>“The immediate danger is gone for now. Excalibur can wait until I have had some sleep.”</p><p> </p><p>Claire came up to his side and took his hand. “I think I’m going to head back to my house too. They’ll want to see me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, meet up for tacos for lunch later?” Jim asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah!” Toby smiled, “It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”</p><p> </p><p>“You guys are invited too.” Jim motioned to Steve and Krel who stood by a bit awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll see,” said Krel, “I still have a blank to fix, and I should probably get in a call to Aja.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me too!” Said Steve, “But I will definitely join for tacos later, see you buttsnacks!” He waved and walked away. Krel soon followed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The trio made their way home, Blinky and Aarrrgh had chosen to stay in the forest to catch up. Jim smiled. He had made that friendship happen. Now that was a thought.</p><p> </p><p>Claire eventually parted from him and Toby to make her way home and left the two of them walking back to the cul de sac together.</p><p> </p><p>“How long has it been since it has just been you and me walking home together like this?” Jim asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Probably since the day before you woke up complaining about not having adventure in your life.” Toby smiled, “Though I think we’ve had enough for one day.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me about it, it was only hours ago that I ran into battle against the Gumm Gumms at kilahead, and was getting teased by Deya.” Jim chose not to mention what happened after, he would unpack that in therapy sometime, hopefully in the near future.</p><p> </p><p>“Whoa you were at kilahead!” Toby smiled, “You need to tell me that story later.”</p><p> </p><p>“Will do. See you later Tobes.”</p><p> </p><p>“See ya Jimbo, glad to have you back.” Toby headed into to his house.</p><p> </p><p>Jim turned on his heel and faced his house. It had been too long since he’d been home. He fished his house key that was somehow, miraculously still in his pocket. He unlocked the door and headed in. He had no idea what he was going to say to his Mom, but he needed to see her.</p><p> </p><p>The sound of a baby crying and his mother shushing carried from upstairs. He followed the sound to the spare bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>“Shh now sweetie, you don’t want to wake the others.” He heard his mother coo to a baby girl.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad to see the babies found a good home.” Jim whispered.</p><p> </p><p>His mother turned, looked at him, did a double take, and then started crying. “Jim, you’re— Is that really you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah Mom, it is.” Jim found himself batting back tears.</p><p> </p><p>His mother put the now sleeping baby back down in her crib and came over and wrapped Jim into the tightest hug he had ever received.</p><p> </p><p>“But, how? Did it have something to do with the large crashes in town last night?” She asked after a moment of deliberation.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t want to know, at least not right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re back.” She smiled. “You want something to eat? Or would you rather go right to sleep, you look like you haven’t slept in days.”</p><p> </p><p>“I haven’t slept, or at least not well. I had a pretty bad injury these past few weeks.”</p><p> </p><p>“You were injured?” His mother went and looked him over, giving into her Dr. Lake side.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine now. The thing that turned me human, it healed me in a way.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank goodness.” She smiled. “Your room is mostly untouched, just we had to put in a few cribs, most of the babies were adopted by families in town, but Walter and I have a lot of children on our hands still. I’ll probably be at work by the time you wake up, those crashes probably mean the hospital is going to be pretty busy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, my friends and I are going for tacos for lunch if you want to join.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’d love that, but we’ll have to see what my hours look like today. I’ll get the kids from your room now. It’s about time that I get them ready for daycare anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>Jim nodded.</p><p> </p><p>While his mother got the babies ready for daycare, Jim took a moment to wander the house. There were baby toys in the living room and bottles in the kitchen, but other than that, not much had changed. It felt like a forever ago that he had cooked last. He would most certainly be making something for dinner tonight, he just wasn’t sure what yet.</p><p> </p><p>Once his mother was out the door he went up to his room, set an alarm for noon, closed the blinds, and finally fell asleep comfortably in his own bed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Jim woke up to his alarm playing some annoying song. He smiled. He was in his own room. What had happened wasn’t just some dream.</p><p> </p><p>He rushed down to the garage and got his helmet and his bike. He frowned ad he looked over to the corner where he usually had stored his Vespa. He was still mad at Merlin for that, regardless if the Wizard was dead now.</p><p> </p><p>He met Toby at the end of his driveway. It truly felt like old times.</p><p> </p><p>They pedaled to the taco truck. Just in time to meet Claire who was stepping through a shadow portal.</p><p> </p><p>A bunch of kids from school were there too. And teachers. And other community members.</p><p> </p><p>Some of them who knew him smiled and said “Hi” or “Good to see you” or “Glad you’re back.” Others didn’t even realize that there was anyone new or special in their midst. Though he wasn’t particularly special at the moment.</p><p> </p><p>Jim ordered his usual taco order and then sat down with Claire on one of the park benches. As he ate, his first human food in months mind you, he looked around at the ruins of Camelot all over the town. There would be extensive clean up efforts within the next few weeks, and Jim was prepared to help.</p><p> </p><p>He still didn’t know what to do with the troll remains he knew were hidden behind one of the towers, but he knew that that would be a decision that he would have to make sometime. He would give Excalibur another go after lunch.</p><p> </p><p>“Young Atlas.” A familiar voice came from nearby. Strickler was standing under an umbrella, under a tree.</p><p> </p><p>“Strickler.” He smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“I see you’re back to your old self again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. What’ve you been up to besides raising a bunch of babies?”</p><p> </p><p>“I actually have gotten my old teaching job back. I was supposed to start today, but a castle crashed into the school last night. Do you happen to know anything about that?”</p><p> </p><p>“A bit.” Jim smirked.</p><p> </p><p>“Will you be returning to school?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know yet, though I am am compelled by the thought of having one of my favorite teachers again.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll see you at home Young Atlas.” Strickler smiled and walked away holding his umbrella tightly.</p><p> </p><p>Jim laughed and chatted with new friends and old for the rest of the time in the park. Apparently the taco truck guy was an alien— er extraterrestrial as Steve had said was a more accurate term. Steve was a friend now, how odd was that, less than a year ago Steve had been threatening to bash Jim into smithereens.</p><p> </p><p>He Claire and Toby eventually ventured out to where Excalibur stood buried in the stone. Jim felt a strange sense of deja vu at attempting to pull the sword away. Much like that first night in his backyard. The first time he had donned the daylight armor.</p><p> </p><p>He took a breath and pulled. The sword slid out. He swung it around a few times getting used to the feel, it was a bit heavier than the daylight one. Jim smiled. Whatever the future had in store he would be ready for it.</p>
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